[Newsmaker] Trump makes first visit to US troops in harm’s way

AL-ASAD AIRBASE, Iraq (AP) — In an unannounced trip to Iraq on Wednesday, President Donald Trump staunchly defended his decision to withdraw US forces from neighboring Syria despite a drumbeat of criticism from military officials and allies who don’t think the job fighting Islamic State militants there is over.Trump, making his first presidential visit to troops in a troubled region, said it’s because the US military had all but eliminated IS-controlled territory in both Iraq and Syria that he d

World NewsDec. 27, 2018

[Newsmaker] Prosecution raids presidential inspection office

Investigators looking into allegations surrounding a former inspector with the presidential office on Wednesday searched related Cheong Wa Dae facilities.According to the presidential office, investigators from the Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office conducted the search as part of an investigation in response to a criminal complaint filed by the main opposition Liberty Korea Party. (Yonhap)“Today, Seoul Eastern District Prosecutors’ Office prosecutors and investigators executed a search

PoliticsDec. 26, 2018

[Newsmaker] IS-claimed attack on Libya foreign ministry kills at least three

Suicide attackers stormed the Libyan foreign ministry in the capital Tripoli on Tuesday, killing at least three people including a senior civil servant in an attack claimed by the Islamic State jihadist group.Twenty-one other people were wounded in the attack, authorities said.A car bomb exploded near the ministry, prompting security forces to rush to the scene, said special forces spokesman Tarak al-Dawass.A firetruck and security officers at the scene of an attack on the Libyan foreign ministr

World NewsDec. 26, 2018

[Newsmaker] US judge orders North Korea to pay $500m in student’s death

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge on Monday ordered North Korea to pay more than $500 million in a wrongful death suit filed by the parents of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who died shortly after being released from that country.US District Judge Beryl Howell harshly condemned North Korea for “barbaric mistreatment” of Warmbier in agreeing with his family that the isolated nation should be held liable for his death last year. She awarded punitive damages and payments covering medica

North KoreaDec. 25, 2018

[Newsmaker] Govt. to reflect hours of paid rest in calculating minimum wage

Legal hours of paid rest will be reflected in the calculation of minimum wage from 2019, the government said Monday. However, extra hours of paid rest designated by contracts between companies and labor unions will not be included in working hours when calculating the minimum wage.According to the Ministry of Employment and Labor, a Cabinet meeting held Monday discussed the revised enforcement ordinance of the Minimum Wage Act. The enforcement ordinance centers on recognizing hours of paid rest

Social AffairsDec. 24, 2018

[Newsmaker] US envoy to anti-IS coalition resigns after Trump's Syria decision

Brett McGurk, the US special envoy to the anti-Islamic State group coalition, has resigned, a State Department official said Saturday, capping a chaotic week that saw the departure of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Donald Trump's stunning decision to pull troops from Syria.McGurk's resignation, effective December 31, comes on the heels of Mattis's decision to quit the Trump administration over key disagreements with the US president, notably the Syria withdrawal. Brett McGurk (AP)Just last wee

World NewsDec. 23, 2018

[Newsmaker] Partial US government shutdown set to last through Christmas

The partial US government shutdown is set to stretch on through Christmas as the Senate adjourned Saturday with no deal in sight to end the impasse over funding for Donald Trump's wall on the US-Mexico border.Due to the shutdown -- which saw several key US agencies cease operations at 12:01 am (0501 GMT) Saturday -- Trump will remain in Washington over Christmas instead of going to Florida, spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said. (AFP)"I am in the White House, working hard," the Republican president twe

WorldDec. 23, 2018

[Newsmaker] Former provincial Gov. An attends sexual abuse hearing in appeals court

Former South Chungcheong provincial Gov. An Hee-jung attended the first hearing of his appeal trial Friday to defend himself against charges that he sexually abused his secretary. The Seoul High Court began the first hearing for An, who was acquitted by the lower court in August. Former South Chungcheong Province Gov. An Hee-jung appears at Seoul High Court on Friday. (Yonhap)Appearing in front of the Seoul High Court at 10 a.m., An said, “Sorry I do not have anything to say,” when asked if he d

Social AffairsDec. 21, 2018

[Newsmaker] Taxi drivers protest carpool service again, stage 24-hour strike

Tens of thousands of taxi drivers across the nation flocked to Seoul on Thursday to protest tech giant Kakao’s launch of a carpooling app, causing inconvenience as the labor unions also began a 24-hour strike at 4 a.m. The venue in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, was filled with some 120,000 taxi drivers -- nearly half of all taxi drivers in the nation -- according to rally organizers. “Carpooling service is illegal. Revise the Transport Service Act!” chanted thousands of prote

Social AffairsDec. 20, 2018

[Newsmaker] Report: 53 journalist deaths tied to work so far in 2018

NEW YORK (AP) — The number of journalists killed in retaliation for their work nearly doubled this year, according to a report released Wednesday by the Committee to Protect Journalists.The New York-based organization found that at least 34 journalists were targeted and killed for their work as of Dec. 14. In all, at least 53 died while doing dangerous work. That compares with 18 retaliation killings out of 47 deaths documented by the committee in 2017. In this Dec. 15, 2014, file photo, Saudi j

World NewsDec. 20, 2018

[Newsmaker] Taxi drivers to hold massive protest against Kakao carpool service

About 100,000 taxi drivers will gather at Yeouido, Seoul, Thursday afternoon for a massive protest against Kakao’s carpool service, taxi unions said Wednesday. The drivers also warned that they might surround the National Assembly with their taxis. Amid the ongoing conflict between the taxi industry and Korea’s tech giant Kakao, taxi drivers have organized multiple protests urging the company to abandon its carpool business plans. The recent death of a 57-year-old taxi driver, who set himself on

Social AffairsDec. 19, 2018

[Newsmaker] Police confirm defect in gas-fired boiler in Gangneung guesthouse accident

GANGNEUNG/SEOUL -- Police said Wednesday they have confirmed a defect in the gas-fired boiler at a guesthouse in Gangneung that likely caused the deaths of three students by carbon monoxide poisoning.Police announced the preliminary result after conducting a joint investigation at the scene with the National Forensic Service and the Korea Gas Safety Corp.They turned the boiler on to see how it operated and found that it was emitting a large quantity of exhaust gas from a faulty pipe, the police

Social AffairsDec. 19, 2018

[Newsmaker] KDB onboard with GM’s spinoff plan, union prepares strike

GM Korea was given the green light Tuesday by the Korea Development Bank to proceed with the controversial setup of an independent research and development entity here, ending a monthslong tug-of-war since GM shut down a factory here this February as part of global restructuring. In return, GM Korea reaffirmed its long-term commitment, which centers on its plan to make Korea General Motors’ production base for all-new sub-compact SUVs and all-new crossover utility vehicles. GM Korea’s unionized

MobilityDec. 18, 2018

[Newsmaker] Olympic short track champion gives tearful testimony against ex-coach in assault case

South Korean Olympic short track champion Shim Suk-hee testified against her ex-coach in an assault case on Monday, saying she wanted the truth to come out and justice to be served.Shim fought back tears as she read from a note during an appeals trial of her former coach Cho Jae-beom at the Suwon District Court in Suwon, 45 kilometers south of Seoul.Cho received a 10-month prison term in September for physically assaulting Shim and three other skaters, but he appealed the decision.  (Yonhap)Shim

More SportsDec. 17, 2018

[Newsmaker] Explosion at Japan restaurant injures 42: police

An explosion at a restaurant in northern Japan injured 42 people late Sunday, police said, with the blast reportedly causing surrounding buildings to collapse.Fires broke out following the incident in the northern city of Sapporo, Kyodo news agency said, and images from the scene showed large flames and plumes of smoke rising in the night air. Firefighters work at the scene after an explosion at a restaurant in Sapporo, in the northern Hokkaido prefecture on December 16, 2018 (AFP)A police offic

World NewsDec. 17, 2018

[Newsmaker] Nations agree milestone rulebook for Paris climate treaty

Nations on Sunday struck a deal to breathe life into the landmark 2015 Paris climate treaty after marathon UN talks that failed to match the ambition the world's most vulnerable countries need to avert dangerous global warming.Delegates from nearly 200 states finalised a common rule book designed to deliver the Paris goals of limiting global temperature rises to well below two degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit). Representatives of nearly 200 nations have been holding talks at the UN`s COP24 summit

World NewsDec. 16, 2018

[Newsmaker] Korea gives 2 Yemeni asylum seekers refugee status

The immigration office on the southern island of Jeju decided Friday to grant refugee status to two Yemeni asylum seekers, the first move of its kind since South Korea began to grapple with their inflow early this year. The immigration office also gave 50 other applicants humanitarian stay permits while denying refugee requests of 22 applicants, according to the Ministry of Justice.  (Yonhap)Those who obtained refugee status and stay permits are allowed to leave the island for other parts of the

Social AffairsDec. 14, 2018

[Newsmaker] Strasbourg Christmas market gunman shot dead by French police

The gunman who killed three people at a Christmas market in Strasbourg was shot dead by French police on Thursday as the Islamic State jihadist group claimed him as one of its "soldiers".More than 700 French security forces had been hunting for 29-year-old Cherif Chekatt since the bloodshed on Tuesday night -- the latest in a string of jihadist attacks to rock France.Messages of support for the victims, as well as candles and flowers, are multiplying in Strasbourg streets. (AFP)Interior Minister

World NewsDec. 14, 2018

[Newsmaker] Kakao delays formal launch of carpool service after taxi protest death

Kakao Mobility said Thursday that it will delay the formal launch of its carpool service that was initially slated for Monday, citing a need to engage in continued discussions with taxi drivers, the government and other industry stakeholders on the issue.The move came after a 57-year-old taxi driver burned himself to death in protest of Kakao’s carpool service plans Monday, shocking the public and driving up tensions between the company and taxi unions that have been staging fierce protests agai

TechnologyDec. 13, 2018

[Newsmaker] Canada says second citizen 'missing' in China

A second Canadian citizen who has been questioned by authorities in China is "presently missing", Canadian officials said Thursday, adding to tensions following the arrest of a top Chinese telecom executive on a US request in Vancouver.The Canadian foreign ministry identified the second Canadian as Michael Spavor, a China-based business consultant who facilitates trips to North Korea, met with its leader Kim Jong Un and famously arranged some of retired NBA star Dennis Rodman's visits there. Mic

World NewsDec. 13, 2018